King Solomon is a conundrum among biblical authors. He is universally acknowledged as the wisest of the lot, and yet it’s hard to call him anything less than a scoundrel and heretic. Heretic may be too harsh; scoundrel is probably too generous. There’s a sense, of course, in which we’re all scoundrels and heretics, but that’s not what I’m talking about. By every indication, the sins of Solomon went well beyond everyday depravity. Not even Paul’s pre-conversion ledger can compete. And whereas Paul’s conversion occurred well before he started writing on God’s behalf, it’s hard to say whether Solomon was ever converted at all. He certainly didn’t write as if he were—at least not consistently. I referenced this passage a few weeks ago, while